Zinck's Story
by Zinck
Summary: POST REVS. What if Trin and Neo had a son? I stumbled over to my bed and crawled beneath the covers. I was exhausted, but sleep didn’t come easily that night. The same question kept haunting my thoughts, keeping me awake: “What is the Matrix?”
1. Chapter 1

_**Like I've said before, the first few chapters of "Zinck's Story" were meant to be a separate fiction when I first started off. I took Sydney Andrew's advice to rip it off the other chapters and post this it as it was originally meant to be viewed and the other chapters are a separate story, or a 'sequel' really. Also, it was written at a busy time of the year for me, so I "accidentally" left out some of what I wanted to write in the first place. (Let's blame it on the excessive number of times I was hit in the head on a daily basis... even if I WAS wearing a helmet... and all the miles I had to run... It affected my brain.) It might be a little confusing seeing as how it jumps from one person's POV to writing in third person. If so, just tell me and I'll look it over again. **_

_**Originally published: 03-20-06**_

_**Here it is. A mix of new material and the old from chapters 1-3.**_

**_And yeah, I WISH I owned the Matrix..._**

EnJOi

**_Chapter 1._**

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Dues Ex Machina gazed down at the unconscious human male. He alone had done the impossible: he had defeated Smith, saved everyone connected to the Matrix, and only wanted peace in return, so that the rest of his species in their only city, Zion, could survive. The human was still breathing, but shallowly, hardly at all. His mate still lay on the floor in the cockpit of the crashed hovercraft, the _Logos._

"_It is done_."

He ordered a transportation platform to take the male back to the ship to be placed next to his lover. On board, the sentinels did as they were programmed to do: to make sure the man's vitals were kept stable and healthy. They hooked Neo up to tubes through the intravenous plugs already imbedded in his body. The same ones that were used to keep him alive when he was still just an unknowing, unquestioning prisoner of the system. The only jack that went unused was the one in the base of his skull. There was no purpose in using it. Neo's mind was gone. His consciousness now lingered in that place unknown to scientists. Comatose... perhaps permanently.

Then they went to recover Trinity, surrounded by her own, congealed blood. The machines cut her loose from the wreckage so when, or rather… if… the humans came to retrieve their heroes, they wouldn't be faced with the gruesome task. She was very cold... except... there was still a flicker of life, and heat, in her body. A child. _Their baby._ It was still young enough to be grown in the fields like the others and have the necessary plugs installed to let it live in the machines' computer-generated dream world.

The sentinels had two options: to either hook the child up to the system, or let it die. They were complex machines, but they thrived on simple, logical thinking. Logically, it didn't make any sense to waste a perfectly good battery since they were about to lose so many people who wanted out, and also because only about 37 percent of the humans they grew in artificial wombs ever lived long enough to be 'born' into the Matrix. The decision was made that the humans didn't need to know anything about the baby. It would just be a reason, or excuse rather, to keep military inside the system at all times.

Morpheus, Niobe and two of the best doctors in Zion arrived in 01 the next day onboard one of the only two ships still functional, the _Vishnu_. They weren't exactly expecting to find everything was all well and good if they found them. As the two came upon the scene and saw the pair lying, unmoving on the ground, Morpheus ran to check their pulses. Kid stumbled into the cockpit a moment later. He must have stowed away in the ship when they left Zion.

Neo was closer. "He is still alive."

He moved on to Trinity and saw the blood. He felt her neck for a heartbeat. Nothing. "Trinity... no..."

Kid collapsed to the ground in shock.

Niobe came up from behind the boy, kneeled down next to him and held his shoulders. "She will not go unforgotten." She tried to soothe him.

"I know," Morpheus began, "I will see to it personally."

Half an hour later, after loading the pair into the med bay of the ship, kid kept watch over Neo. It was a heartbreaking thing to see, Neo and Trinity lying next to each other, dead to the world. What irony. Seeing Trinity deceased, his hero, was one of the hardest things Kid was ever faced with. It was worse than when his older brother was killed in a car accident that night he was hit by a drunk driver. That was when he believed in honesty and obeying the law. Hacking put an end to his perfect academy school-boyish behavior, but he always held onto a shred of what he knew, or thought was right. That was all so long ago... and when he was still plugged in, so technically, it never happened. Now everything felt so real. He thought over what Morpheus and Niobe had said.

_She will not go unforgotten_

_I know. I will see to it personally._

Even though he never aided them in battle or really did anything that brave before defending the dock and cutting the counterweights of gate three, he knew this really was his calling: to help Zion _remember_ and never forget.

They left that morning with their precious cargo, unaware of the gift they were leaving behind with their former mortal enemies.

And so our story starts…

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(Told from Neo and Trinity's son, Zinck's, POV.)

All of my life I knew there was something particular about the world I lived in, a glitch. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I knew it was there. I didn't think anything with the world was all right, well strangely enough, except war. I was the complete opposite of everyone around me. Fighting was the only thing in the world that felt necessary and _real_ to me.

I'd lay awake some nights because sometimes when I slept, I had dreams, and those dreams seemed so... real. More real than when I was awake. I had experienced déjà vu way too many times in my life, and it really was starting to concern me when I kept getting it more and more frequently. Maybe if you knew about my past… you'd understand. Well, if you're willing to listen, I'm willing to talk.

I guess I should start from the beginning…

I had a pretty good childhood, considering… I was an orphan. I never knew my parents. As a newborn I was found in next to the front door of a hospital emergency room. No one knew who put me there. At the orphanage I was taken to, I was christened "Zinck". It's a strange thing to name a child, I know, but I love it and wouldn't have it any other way.

All my life I felt like a freak. My eyes were heterochromatic, which meant they were two different colors; the left one clear blue, the right one deep brown. Kids would always look at me like I was a monster when I was little. My first ten years of life were rough, moving into another foster home every two years or so. On my eleventh birthday, I received the best present any child like me could ask for: I was going to be adopted. I had been living with my to-be parents already for seven months and I really liked them. My "mother" was a short, thin, light-haired woman. My "father" was also short and thin with red hair. They loved me like I was their own son, and I felt like we were a real family.

I was fifteen, almost halfway through my teenage years. My eye condition actually helped me make friends as a teenager. (You know how weird things amuse boys.) I was, indeed, moody and already had my growth spurt. In our family photograph that year, I was standing behind my "parents", with one hand on each of their shoulders. As I looked at this photo I felt something inside of me tear. It was all too obvious; we were _not_ a real family. We looked nothing alike. I was 6'2" with jet-black hair, one blue and one brown eye and very built for my age, while they were both short, thin, light haired, and had green eyes. I felt almost embarrassed to be seen with them in public anymore after that. I felt like people were judging me when I was with them. I started talking to my parents less and less and became more distant from them everyday. It was then that I started to get involved with computers. I loved to learn how they and the programs they ran worked. I became more and more advanced, and eventually, graduated to hacking.

A few months later it was announced we were moving to a small town in the middle of nowhere. (AKA Pennsylvania.) I was not too keen on the idea; the thought of leaving all of my friends behind in New Jersey in the middle of the school year saddened me deeply.

My new high school was all right. At my old one I was an accomplished bowler and school lacrosse star. I credited the lacrosse bit to my amazing muscle build. I never worked out a day in my life in a gym and for some reason I had such great, defined muscles. (It made me wonder what my father looked like.) I felt the only way to fit in here was with my sports. I wasted no time in joining the school's lacrosse team.

Lacrosse. "The Creator's Game". What an awesome sport. Invented by the Native Americans to settle conflicts, just like war, and also to please God. That's why the sticks used for playing are called 'crosses'. It just felt right when I played, even though I was never a religious person. I'm just a _warrior_.

The first game was against my new school's cross-town rivals, the Chesterfield Cheetahs. I was mostly kept in reserve. I didn't play the entire varsity game until the coach called on me. "Zinck!" The score was tied at 14-14 when our best attacker took a bad hit, fell to the ground and twisted his ankle in the process. Without him, we were man down in offense.

I walked over to where he was standing.

"Yes, coach?"

"Get in there." He practically pushed me onto the field.

The ball was given to us and placed in Tyler's stick. As I fitted my mouth guard over my front teeth, I caught him winking once at me. I knew to expect the ball.

The whistle was blown. I was right; he immediately passed it to me. I felt the weight of the hard rubber ball coming in contact with my crosse. As soon as it hit the mesh, I was off running at full speed toward the goal. Out there on the grass we were a cross between automatons and wild animals. We didn't think; we just did whatever our bodies told us to do. Every slight movement was pure instinct, and everyone knew it.

As quickly as I took off, I found myself on my back. Another loud shriek from the whistle. I had been struck in the side and fell. I couldn't even see my opponent; he was on my right blindside where my helmet limited my view.

Looking up at the sky, I could see that the sun was just setting. Orange and pink tinged the clouds floating above me, and the first stars and the moon were slowly becoming more visible. _Beautiful_. But this was no time to star gaze, I realized, as the guy who knocked me down offered his arm in order to help me stand. I accepted. No words were exchanged between us.

A shooting space call? I looked around me to see that I was, indeed in the arch before the goal. The referee called for a direct shot as well.

_Shit._

How much pressure could one guy take?

Pressure, anxiety... I could feel everyone's eyes on my back.

I jogged to the right hash I was directed to. This didn't do me much justice since I was right handed.

"Ready!" The referee yelled and raised his arm in the air.

_Oh, God… No…_

He ran backward, out of everyone's way and stuck the whistle in between his lips.

_Focus, Zinck. Focus…_

_SCREECH!_

I flew toward the goalkeeper, maintaining eye contact the whole time. I flicked my wrist and the next second, the goalie was on his knees, looking at the white ball tucked neatly into the left corner of the net.

15-14, us.

I became the star again, gaining respect and new friends.

I could never forget the day I met her. I have had girlfriends before, but they were all just physically attracted to me, or me to them, there was never anything genuine or solid, anything real. We mobbed into the little shop singing our fight song with me atop my teammates' shoulders. She and her friends, who had attended the game, were already there, sitting at a little table with their backs turned towards me.

"Put me down now guys. I think I can walk on my own." I said to them while staring at her. They let me down and scattered to the counter to buy themselves cones. I kept my eyes trained on her as I placed my favorite orange _Warrior Lacrosse_ cap on my head.

"Oh, I see." said Don, the biggest and strongest member of our team. "So you have a crush on Caitlin do you?"

"Caitlin." I mumbled the name under my breath, too low for him to hear.

"Well, you two will just have to get to know each other a little better then won't you?" he bellowed so that the whole shop could hear. Turning her head to look me in the eye, she felt it too, the immediate connection between us. I could see she had medium-length black hair, and soft, blue eyes. Her beauty entranced me entirely in that moment, and it still does.

Suddenly, I felt Don's hands around my waist as he lifted me off the ground and carried me directly toward her.

"Don! Let me go! Put me down!" I yelled at him in protest.

"Not until you at least talk to her." Finally coming to a stop at her table, Don pulled the chair out next to her and placed me in it.

"You have fun now you two."

"Don!" There was no point in yelling at him now. He had accomplished his goal. "H-hi." I finally stuttered out, feeling stupid.

"Hi. I'm sorry... I don't think I know you..." she replied with an amused tone of voice.

"I-I'm Zinck. Uhm, I'm new."

"Caitlin." She said, shaking my hand. I could feel goose bumps all up my arm. We sat and stared at each other what must have been just mere seconds, but it felt like an eternity. We understood each other from the very second we first locked eyes. Her friends began to giggle. "You're on the lacrosse team, right?"

"Yeah."

"What's your jersey number?"

"Thirty."

She laughed. "Well, that's easy. Zinck's number thirty! Wait... then you're the one who shot that last goal?"

"Uh, yeah. That was me."

"Wow. You're awesome."

"Thank you." I smiled. Whoa, when was the last time I did that?

"Caitlin, we should really get going now," said the girl sitting next to her.

"Yeah." She stood up. "Well, I'll see you around."

"Yeah." I whispered with a scratchy throat as her friends rose with her and headed towards the door. She cast me smile before she slipped out. "Caitlin."

After that first meeting, we became very close. We went everywhere and did everything together. Many adults think that teenagers know nothing of love; they're just too hormonal to. That could not be farther from the truth. It is not a matter of age, but a matter of finding the One. The One you are meant to be with.

Whoa, where the philosopher within me come from?

We were the perfect high school couple. Like mine, her home life could have been better. Her mom was an alcoholic and her father died when she was little. I was proud of how strong she kept herself, despite the horrible things that had happened to her in her life. That just made our love for each other deeper and more important.

One night, almost two years later, I woke abruptly and found myself hunched over my desk, drooling on a stack of computer encryption codes I had been working on. A green message against the black background of my laptop read: "_Wake up, Zinck..._" What the hell? It had to be another hacker. It was the only explanation. But how had they gotten past my firewall and layers of passwords? I tried force quitting the program but my keyboard was locked up. I watched in confusion as the message disappeared and a new one was typed in its place "_The Matrix has you..._"What? What is the Matrix? I was starting to get annoyed. I tried to force restart, but nothing was working. Finally I got bored waiting for another random message to flash across my screen, so I took out the battery. I stumbled over to my bed and crawled beneath the covers. I was exhausted, but sleep didn't come easily that night. The same question kept haunting my thoughts, keeping me awake: "_What is the Matrix?_"

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**_Please review. And I promise to get the new chapter up soon. ;D_**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Now told through a different POV in this chapter. I hope none of you get too confused…**_

_**Chapter 2. Enjoy.**_

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(Told from Neo's POV) 

I woke from a restless sleep into a world of darkness. I tried to open my eyes, until I remembered I didn't have them any more. The first thing I thought of was Trinity. I felt sick to my stomach. Was I still alive? I thought I was. Why couldn't we have passed on together? I must have still been in 01. Did I black out after deleting Smith through my body? My muscles felt stiff, but I knew sooner or later I would have to move. As I came more to, I found I wasn't lying on hard, cold metal, like I would have been in 01; I was in a comfortable, warm bed. No, this couldn't be right. Where was I? Back in Zion? I started to panic and threw myself out of the little bed.

What they say about your other senses getting stronger when you lose one is most definitely true. I didn't, I couldn't see her coming, but I could hear her as the nurse walked into my room. She dropped something made of glass. I heard it loudly shatter on the hard stone floor as she yelled for a doctor. I gritted my teeth and covered my ears; it was too much for my new found super-senses that I've never used before. I stood and ran with one hand in front of me. I had no idea where I was. I felt I was only wearing shorts and a thin undershirt, and there was a long needle stuck into the plug of my left arm. I heard the IV bag fall to the ground and drag behind me as I kept running. As I found the door opening, I realized I wasn't wearing any shoes, or even any socks. I forgot about the glass on the floor. I cried out in serious pain and felt warm, sticky blood flow in between my toes. I fell to my hands and knees and proceeded into the hall. I could hear many peoples' footfalls as they rushed after me. A strong man jumped on my back, knocking the wind out of me. I screamed again as a thinner, shorter needle was roughly jabbed into the hypersensitive skin of my upper thigh and the contents of the syringe were emptied into my blood stream. I lost consciousness.

When I finally awoke, I was back on the little bed with my feet wrapped and stinging. I moved my head around on the pillow to try and fix a crick in my neck.

"Neo…" Someone whispered, clearly astonished.

"Who's there?" I asked cautiously, my throat burned. I recognized the voice from somewhere, but I was still too woozy to place it with a face.

"Neo, it's me, Morpheus."

"Morpheus!" I sat up immediately, "What happened? Where am I? What happened with Trinity?" That last word barely made it through my lips as my throat tightened.

"Slow down, Neo. You're in the hospital of Zion." He paused, "Neo, you know what happened to Trinity." He seemed like he was going to burst into tears as well as me. "She was given a hero's burial in the temple. As to what happened in the Matrix, that's something only you would know."

I then told him the story of me fighting, and then surrendering myself to Smith.

"Amazing." He said, "But you should be dead…" The words of the Oracle played in my head: "_But apparently you weren't ready for that either…_"

"Morpheus, how long? How long have I been unconscious?"

"Neo, you've been in a coma for seventeen, almost eighteen years." He said sadly. I fell back onto my back as I thought, "_Seventeen years? Seventeen years I've been without my Trinity? I didn't think I could go on another day after the ship crashed. I need to be with her again, even if it means I have to take my own life…_"

"Neo, I know you must be in extreme shock. Sort of like waking up from the Matrix dream-world all over again, but there is some good news."

"What?" I squeaked out

"Neo, you and Trinity…" He paused to clear his throat. "You have a son in the Matrix." I sat up again.

"What? How can that be possible?"

"I just found him about a year ago. I was scanning the Matrix code looking for more potentials to be unplugged, and I came across someone whose code was a combination of two I've seen before, many times: yours and Trinity's. The code was made from only 0s, 1s and 3s. What I'm guessing is that when she died during your last attempt to save us, Trinity was pregnant. When the machines came to get her from the ship they must have sensed the baby still living in her, probably using thermal imaging, and installed it into the Matrix."

"What's his name?"

"Zinck."

"Zinck? He's seventeen then?"

"Yes, almost eighteen actually. He just graduated from high school this year."

"Does he have a happy life? Does he know of the Matrix?"

"He knows the question Neo. He's a hacker just like you and Trinity before him. He's been looking for a way out for about two years now. And his girlfriend, Caitlin, also knows the question, but would never bring herself to tell him of her secret thoughts. Perhaps she's afraid he would think her mad. Convincing him to leave the Matrix without her might prove nearly impossible, and I wouldn't want to do it anyway."

"I agree. But, are you going to free him?"

"I suppose that's really your call now."

"I-I don't know…"

"I don't expect you to make up your mind this fast. Don't worry, there's time."

The doctors told me I would be able to move into an apartment after a few days of observation here in the hospital. Wasn't almost 18 years enough time? I requested a new one on a different level, in a different wing. Moving into my old one, the one I shared with Trinity would have just been too hard. There were too many memories. It would drive me crazy, even after this long if it still held her presence, her scent, her belongings… Oh, God, her belongings… I asked Morpheus to go through it himself and bring me only what he thought I should have.

That night I dreamt of Trinity, it felt so… real.

We hugged tightly and she said into my neck, "Neo…"

"Trin… Trinity…" I was about to start sobbing.

"Take care of Zinck. You have to be strong Neo. You have to be his father, a real father, like neither of ours were. Don't even think about suicide ever again." She said the last sentence firmly, commanding.

"I will Trinity. I love you."

"Good. He's more important than you know, Neo. I love you too." I woke up in a cold sweat. I knew it was really her, it had to have been. I was determined to do as she wanted. My reasoning for this was: If I could destroy sentinels with my thoughts, why couldn't she visit me in my dreams? I also knew that Trinity and I would both meet again, in the after life, one day.

_Don't worry, there's time._

The next morning, Morpheus came to see me again.

"Morpheus, about Zinck," I began, "I've made up my mind."

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_**Please review. :D**_


	3. Chapter 3

**_Back to another POV. :P_**

**_Chapter 3._**

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(Told from Zinck's POV.) 

Caitlin and I both graduated at the age of seventeen. I was so proud of us both that day. Immediately after high school, and a few weeks before my eighteenth birthday, we moved into an apartment together. I was just into hacking as ever. We both got jobs fast. I worked at a club as a valet five nights a week, and she worked at the little ice cream parlor where we first met.

One night at the bar when I was on my break, an older man with a strange looking black alligator skin coat and round sunglasses that seemed to float on his nose approached me. It was curious to me why this man was wearing sunglasses at 10:30 pm.

Déjà vu.

A shot of cold shot up my spine. Why did I recognize this man?

"Hello sir. Can I get your car for you?"

"Zinck I presume?"

"How'd you know that?" Valets aren't given nametags.

"You look just like your father. Except for your left eye, it's definitely from one of your mother's genes." I forgot all about my name after that.

"You knew my father, a-and my mother?"

"I know your father, Zinck, he is still alive. Your mother, however, has passed on." Now he had me. I was sad about my mom, but I longed to see my dad. I was still too stunned to speak. "Yes, well, he is looking for you. I can take you to him, but you must know you can never go back to the way your life is now." I almost responded with an "okay", until I remembered Caitlin.

"When you say I can never go back, do you mean I can never see any of my friends again?"

"No, you can't." he replied sadly. I looked down.

"Then no. I won't do it. I know what true love is, and that it is more important than anything else in the world. I love Caitlin too much to leave her behind for a father I don't even know." I say as I turn my back to him, still staring at the ground, fully prepared to walk away. He grabbed my shoulder. Now he was where I wanted him.

"Wait. You have no idea how important it is for you to come with me."

"I can't go without Caitlin." I responded firmly.

"You can both come. But there is a catch. You will both have to leave the Matrix behind to stay with each other."

"The Matrix? You were the hacker on my computer!" I was more curious as to how he did it than I was angry.

"A simple little hack." He said, chuckling. His skill level must be amazingly high to call something like that 'a simple little hack'. "Will you come with me or not?"

"I have to talk to Caitlin about it first. You are asking us to give up our lives, you know."

"I'll be in contact." He said as he gracefully turned around and walked away with his arms folded behind his back.

"Wait, who are you anyway?" I shouted to him.

"My name is Morpheus."

"What do I do if she says yes?"

"Go to room 303 of the Heart 'O The City Hotel." He kept walking. All I could do was stare after him and contemplate all he had told me.

That night I got home around one in the morning. I quickly got undressed out of my work clothes and climbed into bed, being careful not to wake Caitlin who was already sleeping peacefully. I wasn't careful enough though. She slowly opened her eyes and smiled at me.

"How was work?" she asked sleepily as she laid her head on my chest, her hand rubbing my stomach.

"Fine. Cat, I need to ask you something." She picked her head up to look me in the eyes. A look of concern crossed her face.

"What?"

"Are you content with our lives?"

"As long as I am with you." She answered honestly looking my straight in the eye, not blinking once.

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do. Why did you even bother to ask?"

"What if I asked you to come with me to somewhere new, somewhere far away... But the thing is we will never be able to have the same lives as we do now... Would you come?"

"What do you mean?" I took and deep breath and told her the story of the strange messages on my computer and of the particular meeting with the man on my break. She knew how important it was to me to find out as much about my parents I could. She knew my ambitions from the nights we would just lay awake and talk. Eventually, I told her what Morpheus told me.

"Of course I'll go with you. We both have nothing to lose here, but so much to gain together somewhere, anywhere else. Now go to sleep, you're up so late every night." She really meant it. Every word of it. It was settled tomorrow we would go _together_ to the hotel and leave this world we hated so much behind _together_. She curled up closer to me and I put my hand around her waist. I tried to sleep, but that same damned question kept creeping into my thoughts: _What is the Matrix?_ After a few minutes I gave up on the idea of rest for my troubled mind and settled for watching her sleep instead.

Caitlin and I walked up the rickety, old stairs of The Heart 'O The City Hotel holding hands, fingers intertwined. Finally we arrived at the right room. There were old, dark blood marks across the hall from it. I couldn't look away from these. I dropped to the floor in agony as I envisioned a tall, young, muscular figure dressed in black shot repeatedly in the chest by a man dressed in a black suit. I felt his pain. I felt hopeless. Suddenly, I was brought back to reality by Caitlin. She was bending over my limp body, frightened and concerned for me.

"Zinck! Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine." I mumbled as I stood up, using the wall with the stains for support. I really wasn't fine. I was woozy and it felt like my legs were about to collapse beneath me, but I had to be strong, for the both of us. The door to room 303 swung open, just as I was about to reach for the knob.

"I knew you would come," said Morpheus, showing off his not-so-straight and unevenly spaced teeth.

"What do we have to do?"

Caitlin and I both were directed to sit in chairs as he put censors on various parts of our bodies. Morpheus carefully watched a series of monitors. We sat there for quite some time, when all of a sudden Morpheus exclaimed "Now!"

I felt a cool sensation flow through my body and I woke in a pod filled with pink ooze, completely naked. I broke through the surface of the pod and pulled out the tube that I assumed was supplying me with oxygen. It hurt to breathe, to blink, to think. I saw there were plugs all over my body. A floating machine came over and grabbed me by my neck. I thought: "_Is this real?_" A bigger plug at the back of my skull was loosened and removed. I fell against the sidewall of the pod in great pain.

I looked over and I saw Caitlin arise from the pod next to the one I was in. She went through the same procedure I did. The plugs in my body began to pop out in random intervals. I fell back into the goop as the back wall disappeared and I fell down a sort of waterslide into a freezing cold, grey-looking river that smelled like death. It was hard to keep my head above water.

A few seconds later, Caitlin's naked body was also dumped into the water. She was unconscious. Either from the extreme pain of being unplugged, or she fainted after seeing that terrifying machine. I swam over to her and tried to keep her above water the best I could. It hurt to move my arms and legs. At this point I didn't care what happened to me. I didn't care if I drown. I just wanted her to live.

A second later, bright lights broke through the darkness above us, a giant metal claw was dropped into the river, grabbing a hold of both our bodies and lifting us upward. This should have scared the hell out of me, but for some reason it was reassuring. I was exhausted. I rested my head against Caitlin's as I let myself fall asleep; I thought: "_Everything will be okay_." I don't know why, but I fully trusted Morpheus.

I woke up I don't know how much later. I was lying on a sterile metal bed with dozens of long, thin needles poking into my body. I weakly looked around for the love of my life. She was lying on another bed next to mine, also with needles stuck in her body. She opened her eyes tiredly and looked into mine. The look was a look of understanding and love. I closed mine again and drifted back off to sleep.

The next time I awoke, I was fully clothed, boots and all. The clothes were ragged and torn, but warm. I felt stronger. I stood up, walked to the metal-latch door and opened it. Walking down the long, narrow hallway I bumped into Morpheus.

"Zinck. You're up already? Are you feeling all right?"

"I'm fine. Where's Caitlin?"

He led me back up the hallway and pointed to a room. I quickly pushed open the door. A swift rush of relief surged through my body as my eyes rested on Caitlin's form resting on a bed similar to the one I woke up on. The clothes she wore now were also ragged and torn like mine, and she was wearing the same kind of boots. I strode over to the bed and sat down. I took her hand in mine. Then I did something I didn't even know I could do, I cried. I wasn't sad. These were tears of joy, I knew she would be okay, everything would be for the better.

"Zinck, she needs more rest than you do. Come." Wiping my eyes with the back of my sleeve, I obediently and reluctantly stood up and followed him out of the room.

"The reason you came with me, the reason you trusted me, was that you wanted to see your father."

"Yeah."

"We are heading home know, that's where he is."

"Where is 'home'?"

"Zion" He smiled, "We should arrive in two or three hours."

Two or three hours was nothing to wait compared to seven-, no wait. "Morpheus, what day is it?"

"Sunday." I was right. I was now eighteen. Today was my birthday. (Well the day they found me outside that hospital emergency room…)

"Happy Birthday, Zinck."

"How did you-" I was cut off.

"I know a lot about you."

I couldn't care less how he knew, there were more important things on my mind.

"So… my mother is dead."

"Yes, I'm so sorry."

"Who was she?"

"Have you ever heard of the hacker, Trinity?"

My eyebrows shot up. "The Trinity? The one that hacked into IRS-Database years before I was born? She was a hacker? That would explain me."

"Yes. Your father was a hacker also, his name is Neo."

He explained everything to me in great length about the Matrix and the real world. He said he would leave the war stories up to my dad. Then he showed me around the ship, the _Nebuchadnezzar II_. He showed me the bedrooms, the infirmary, the dinning room, and the Core. At the end of the tour I headed back to the bedrooms to check on Caitlin. I opened the door to her room and found her sitting upright on the bed. Not bothering to close the door, I ran over to her, picked her up in a tight embrace, and kissed her passionately. I sat back on the bed with her in my lap. She threw her arms around my neck and settled her head on my shoulder. I knew she felt secure and loved in my arms. We sat this way for a while until there was a knock at the door. Morpheus was standing in the doorway.

"We're ten minutes from Zion. Get ready."

There was no need for words. This was it. In ten minutes I would finally meet my father. Caitlin was still weak, so I carried her back out to the Core where more people were waiting. As I entered, they stared at me with big, wide smiles. I didn't usually get that kind of reaction walking into a room. I set Caitlin on her feet and let her lean against me.

"This is my crew." Morpheus exclaimed proudly "Link, the operator." He pointed to a younger-looking man with long braids of hair.

"Hey" Link said cheerfully

"Hi" I replied

"Zee is piloting the ship now, you can meet her later." Said Link

"There's also my wife, Niobe." Morpheus said, standing next to her with his hand on her shoulder.

"It's an honor to meet you." She said shaking my hand

"Nice to meet you too." An honor to meet _me_? Who was I anyway? Just then a boy who looked younger than me stumbled into the room carrying metal pipes.

"Whoa." The boy whispered, dropping the pipes.

"And my son, Amir." Morpheus sighed, amused by Amir's actions. The boy walked up to me quickly, but cautiously. Like I was the strangest, most interesting thing he ever saw. He grabbed my hand and shook it vigorously.

"Zinck. I can't believe it's really you. How've you been, my brother?"

"Brother?"

"Well, god-brother or whatever…" I turned back to Morpheus and Niobe.

"You two are my godparents?"

"Yes. It's true. I'm sorry we didn't come into your life sooner, Zinck." Niobe answered. They looked at the ground, ashamed.

I smiled. "Don't be. I'm not mad. If I didn't go through the same choices, I would have never met Caitlin." I said honestly, grasping her hand in mine.

The ship shook as it docked. We arrived. Walking down the ramp, I was carrying Caitlin again. At the bottom, there was a massive mob of people waiting. As soon as I appeared with Caitlin in my arms, there was an uproar of clapping and cheering.

"Follow me." Niobe grabbed my sleeve and led me through the crowd. They were all staring at _me_. We came to an elevator, got inside and declined. The sight I saw when the loud, thick metal doors parted was the most beautiful city ever. _Zion_, I thought. Niobe took me down the hall and instructed me to leave Caitlin to rest in one of the apartment-like rooms. I laid her down on the thin, lumpy mattress of the bed and covered her body with blankets.

"I'll be back soon." I said into her short, almost nonexistent hairline as I kissed her on the forehead.

"I know."

"I love you."

"I love you too." I gave her another quick kiss on the cheek, and then left with Niobe to see my father as she laid back to rest. She took me to another elevator and we descended again. We got out and I followed her down another hallway. She finally stopped at a door and smiled. Then she ceremoniously opened the latch and swung the door open.

The man standing in the room was blind; he had old, horrible scars over where his eyes should have been. We looked almost exactly the same, except for that whole eye issue.

"Dad?"

He turned his head in my direction. "Zinck?"

We ran at each other and hugged tightly.

"My son."

It was about two weeks later when I first _Re-entered the Matrix_. I completed all of my training with Morpheus and Link in about half a day. Caitlin finished hers in about the same time. Our jobs in the Matrix were to keep an eye on programs like the Merovingian, that were likely to try and disturb the fragile time of peace between the humans and the machines. My father would also work with us; the Merovingian was terrified of him, and me. Once, Neo said that the Merv was actually more afraid of me then he was of 'The One'.

"It's because you're the living embodiment of the two best resistance fighters in the Matrix. Duh." He would say to me. I couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, and your mother also threatened him at gunpoint once."

The first time I entered the Matrix with Neo, it was like seeing him for the first time again. It was the first time, for him. He was blind in the real world, but his RSI still had vision. He placed his hand on my shoulder and we looked at each other for the longest time. I saw he had dark, brown eyes. He noticed mine too.

"Whoa, your eyes. You're definitely our son all right." he said, ruffling my hair. This was the living part of Trinity that Neo was looking for.

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_**Please review.**_

_**One more chapter, I think.**_


	4. Chapter 4

**_Chapter 4._**

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(Told from Caitlin's POV)

One day, five years later, when we were both twenty-three, Zinck and I were back in Zion (off duty) as our ship recharged. We ate dinner in our apartment, not the same synthetic junk we eat on the ship, but actual food that Zinck had cooked himself. He told me he had a surprise for me as he took me by the hand, led me out of the apartment, and took me down to one of the lowest levels of the city. He took me to the mouth of a little cave. I asked him what we were doing.

"I think you'll like it." He replied to me, a little nervously, yet confidently as we entered the small cavern.

It was beautiful. The beams of the flashlight-stick Zinck brought bounced off of what looked like it was gold embedded in the walls. I just stood there marveling at the wonderful, sparkling sight for the longest time, until Zinck grabbed my hand and kneeled. I looked down at him.

"Cat, will you marry me?"

"Oh my God." I whispered. My free hand slapped up to my mouth. I could already feel tears welling up in my eyes. He was frozen with a look of anticipation as he awaited an answer. "Yes." I finally said.

He grinned, stood up, pecked me on the cheek, and hugged me tightly. I started to cry. After I settled down, we walked back to the elevator holding hands. You would have to have been blind to not see how crazy about each other we were, and even then, Neo could sense it. We met with him on the way back to our apartment.

"Zinck, Caitlin? Is that you?" he asked looking in our direction. I thought: "_How does he always know?_"

"Yeah dad, it's us. We're just heading back home from that secret cave you told me about." Zinck answered smirking.

"Dear God. You-, Caitlin-, tonight?"

"Yep." I nuzzled my head against Zinck's neck.

"Well, congratulations!" He exclaimed smiling at us, overjoyed

"Thank you." We answered together. We bid Neo a good night and parted ways.

A month after that night, to the day, we were married in the temple of Zion, a huge cave. Pretty much the entire population of the last city of human kind gathered to witness the only son of the One, their savior, at this event.

About five months after we were married, I found out that I was pregnant. I was thrilled. I was nervous about telling Zinck though. The first person I told was Niobe. I needed her advice. After all, she at some point had to tell Morpheus she was pregnant with Amir. I found her in the dining room, eating that runny, Tastee-Wheat-like crap we all had to eat, day in and day out. I sat down in the chair opposite her.

"Hello Caitlin. You need something?"

"Yes," this was harder than I thought it would be, "I need your help."

"What is it? Is something wrong?"

"No. Everything's fine. Actually, everything's great." I took a look around to make sure no one else was there, and then added, "Niobe, I'm pregnant." She beamed at this news.

"I guess that means I'm going to be a great-godmother." She joked

"Yeah something like that. I don't exactly how to tell Zinck though."

"Oh, I see. You're afraid he might not want this?"

"A little."

"You two have never talked about it before together?"

"No, not really…" I was cut off

"Caitlin, You and Zinck share a bond just like his parents did, and look how he turned out. I suppose the only thing that matters is: Do you love him?"

"Of course I do."

"Then he will love this baby."

"Yeah, you're right." Now I wondered why I was even worried in the first place, "I should just go up to him and tell him straight out."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Thank you Niobe. I shouldn't have thought Zinck wouldn't love this."

"Hey, what are god-mothers-in-law for?" She laughed

That night in the Neb II, I went in search of Zinck to tell him of our good news. I found him working on trying to mend an air-duct pipe with Amir in one of the lower levels of the ship. Neo was also there, just to keep them company.

"Damn pipe!" Zinck growled, dropping the wrench he was using in frustration. "Amir, go to the supply room with Neo and find a new pipe to replace this old, rusted one."

"Okay, come on Neo." Neo followed Amir out of the room, and out of earshot.

Zinck stood up and walked over to me.

"Hey Cat, what are you doing down here?" His mood lightened tremendously with me there, I was grateful for that.

"Zinck I need to tell you something."

"What is it?" I could sense tension in his voice.

Great, I scared him.

I grabbed both of his hands and intertwined my fingers with his. This was it.

I looked at his neck as I said, "Zinck, we're having a baby." As soon as I finished speaking, I looked him straight in the eye. He stared back at me intensely, stunned with this news. His eyes became soft and the corners of his mouth curled up into a smile.

"How long?"

"About a month." He let out a squeal of joy and hugged me so hard, he lifted me off my feet. I was relieved with his reaction. I hugged back just as hard. We must have looked really funny when and Neo walked back into the room, carrying a shiny new metal pipe. Wait, Neo couldn't even see us.

"Amir was called to the main deck." Neo explained Amir's absence.

"Neo, how would you feel about being a grandfather?" Zinck said happily, placing a hand on my stomach, a cute gesture that Neo couldn't even see.

"What?" His grip on the pipe loosened dangerously; he almost dropped it.

"Dad, Caitlin's pregnant."

"That's great! That's amazing!" He looked so fulfilled, so happy with this news.

_"Another Anderson on the way," _I thought.

I was forced to remain in Zion from my sixth month on, it was law. Zinck was still ordered to remain on the Neb II, and would have to leave for another month without me. We have never been apart that long since we first met, but we were soldiers and needed to be strong.

I couldn't have been happier when that one month finally passed and Zinck was allowed to stay in Zion with me for an entire year on leave. I waited in the dock as the Neb II landed. The first crewmember off of the ship was of course Zinck. We ran into each other's arms. He winced in pain as our bodies made contact. I was really surprised to see him so badly bruised. There were huge dark purple patches on his chest and one on his jaw.

"Zinck, what happened?"

"My sparring partner," he meant me, "had to stay in Zion, so I had to fight with Neo."

"I'm so sorry Zinck."

"Don't be, I just wish my father wasn't such a god in the dojo." He joked. Then he told me of his first solo mission in the Matrix without Neo. I was terrified to hear about this, he could have been killed. He felt it was an accomplishment though.

"You should have seen it Cat, the Merovingian was so scared of me."

A sigh came from behind us. "How many times do I have to tell you? It's because you're the living embodiment of the two best resistance fighters in the Matrix." Neo remarked, joining the conversation. They both laughed.

"Zinck, you could have been taken from me." I said sadly as I placed my hands on his waist. After that, all happiness, laughter and smiles left the conversation.

Neo must have sensed I was really upset. He cleared his throat. "I must be going now. I'll see you later." He slung his bag over his shoulder and walked off. Zinck put his arms around me even though it caused him pain and discomfort.

"I'm here, I'm okay Cat. And I'm not going anywhere for a long time." He whispered into my ear, pulling me closer to him and placing his head on top of mine. I had to forgive him. Early on working on the Neb II as crewmembers, we learned not to dwell on the past; all that mattered was the present. He was here with me now; that was all that mattered. He would heal too, I would make sure of it.

He got better quickly and for the next couple of weeks Zinck wouldn't let me do anything, including standing up to just get a cup of water or something to eat. At first I was slightly annoyed by this, but as time worn on it became increasingly difficult to move, and I knew he was only trying to help. Also during that time I saw a side of Zinck I never saw before, he became softer, talking to my stomach and all. I realized he was acting on instinct as he became more protective of the baby and me.

The baby came a few weeks early. We weren't exactly prepared. I was on the couch when it hit me. Zinck was asleep in the bedroom. He woke up at my screaming and rushed to me. He grabbed me, threw the door open, and without bothering to close it, ran to the elevator. As the thick, metal doors opened on the hospital level of the city, he ran to the nearest emergency room, still carrying me. They took me from him, and made him wait outside. I never saw him look so scared in my life as I was forced to leave him behind. If I didn't know him any better, I would have thought he was going to pass out, he looked so scared and pale.

The next time I saw Zinck, I was waiting for him in my hospital room, with our new baby girl wrapped up in a blanket in my arms. He staggered into the room along with a doctor. He still looked anxious and pale. Well, paler than normal…

"Congratulations Mr. Anderson, it's a girl." said the doctor, shaking Zinck's hand. The doctor cast a quick smile at me, then turned and left.

"She's beautiful Caitlin." Zinck said as he sat in the seat next to the little hospital bed.

"Yeah, well she is _our_ daughter." I said jokingly, "Here Zinck, hold her." He looked at me questioningly, and then took the little bundle in his muscular arms. It was so amazing and so cute to see how someone like Zinck could change from being the most badass warrior like he was in the Matrix, to the kindest, most gentle father when he held his daughter.

"Cat, what are we going to name her? We really should have discussed this beforehand."

"I was thinking about it. If it were a boy, I would have wanted to name him Zinck Jr." Zinck looked at me with an expression on his face that read: _Yeah, right._ "But it's a girl. I was thinking about Eve."

"Eve..." He looked from me to the baby, smiled and said: "Eve it is then." He stood up and placed Eve back in my arms and proceeded to the door.

"Where are you going?" I asked him

"I'll be right back... Uhm... I think I forgot to close our apartment door."

I laughed. It was times like these I realized just how much I loved that goofball.

One day Zinck and I had to attend a meeting with the Council, and were told to leave Eve behind. Neo didn't have to go, so he offered to take care of Eve for us. The meeting seemed to go on forever. When we finally arrived back home to our apartment, it was very late. I felt kind of bad for causing Neo to have to stay there for so long. As Zinck and I walked into to the main room of the apartment, we found Neo and Eve had fallen asleep. Neo was sprawled out on the bed with his arms wrapped around Eve, who was lying on his chest.

It was so right, but so sad to see Neo hold and take care of his granddaughter. At least he knows what I look like, and what Zinck looks like; he can see us whenever we plug into the Matrix. But there was no way he would ever be able to see Eve's face. That didn't seem to bother him in the least bit.

Zinck motioned for me to sit in the chair across from the bed with him. I was so tired. He held me in his lap as we looked on at the two of them. I fell asleep thinking about my beloved family of my father-in-law, my wonderful husband, my beautiful baby girl, and how I owed everything to Zinck.

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**_Sorry if it was a little hard to understand. I combined three different chapters, written in three different POV's and tried to make it as legible as possible. Maybe I'll rewrite again someday in the future if I feel like... _**

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**_Anyhow, I humbly request you review if you liked it. And even if you didn't. Share your opinion. _**

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**_- Zn_**


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